Blithe Spirit
Blithe Spirit is one of Noël Coward’s iconic plays, along with Private Lives, Present Laughter and Hay Fever. First seen in the West End in 1941, it created a new long-run record for non-musical British plays and also did well on Broadway later that year.
This year marks its 80th anniversary, following a new film adaption in 2020 starring Judi Dench as the inimitable Madame Arcarti (first played on stage by Margaret Rutherford).
The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild’s decision to present this Coward classic is timely. It was first premiered to raise the spirits of the British during World War II. Now, it is raising the spirits of a population weighed down by COVID-19.
For those few who have not seen Blithe Spirit, the plot is deceptively simple. A spiritualist medium holds a séance for a writer suffering from writer’s block but accidentally summons the spirit of his deceased first wife, which leads to an increasingly complex love triangle with his current wife of five years.
Director Megan Dansie has stripped the set back to its essentials for the Little Theatre but still manages to make it look plush with a floral chintz sofa, armchair and dark wood furniture. The set, dominated by a green floor rug, gives us a sense of space and comfort.
Dansie’s direction (assisted by Aj Bartley), effectively restages a play designed for proscenium arch to ‘in the round’ and brings the action closer to the audience. There is a nice balance between the comedic and dramatic sections of the play, especially the séance section.
Coward calls for stylish delivery to ensure some of the more ‘acid’ lines have the maximum effect. Brad Martin as Charles has the Coward style ‘in spades’. He carries the play, dropping one-liners while maintaining the ebb and flow of managing two wives, one dead and one alive.
Miriam Keene as Ruth, Charles’ second wife, vocally matches Charles perfectly. Ruth can be a thankless role, sometimes played as a ‘support’ for Charles. Keene made it her own and her scenes with Charles and Elvira are a riot.
Steve Marvenek and Esther Michelsen as Doctor and Mrs. Bradman add depth to the séance scene and give further perspective to the characters of Charles and Ruth.
Jean Walker as Madame Arcati relishes the much sought after role and plays the famous spiritualist with a clever balance of comedy and intensity. From her gypsy like costume of Act 1, to tweeds of Act 2, she floats through the role nailing every laugh line.
Emily Currie simply shines as Elvira, Charles’ deceased second wife. She has a real chemistry with Martin on stage and fully explores Elvira’s petulance and her enduring ‘hold’ on Charles. The ‘Captain Bracegirdle’ scene between them in Act Two was a lesson in acting.
Ashlee Scott’s Edith is delightfully gauche. Her attempts to remain calm and sedate are extremely entertaining.
My only reservations with this production is Ruth’s costuming, which seem to belong more to the 1950s, and Edith’s rendition of ‘Always’, which could have been louder to add to the atmosphere of Ruth and Elvira’s exorcism.
Blithe Spirit is a wonderful way to escape the winter blues because ‘We have no guarantee that the afterlife will be any less exasperating than this one, have we?’ (Noël Coward)
Barry Hill
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